Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
by HWWHOC
Summary: Now an Avenger, Joel has to attend the X-Mansion to learn to control his powers; the people around Peter begin to treat him differently as they think his boyfriend is cheating on him with Spider-Man; a former flame of Wade's returns; with Joel gone and no new foes at the moment, the Avengers pass the time; and the Author travels dimensions, falling for a certain Sokovian speedster.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N**_ : Hey, everyone. I came up with the sequel idea with only a few chapters left in the previous story, _(It's) Supernatural_. I would highly advise reading that story first, otherwise you're not going to fully understand everything going on here.

* * *

"That. Was. Amazing." Joel lay in between Peter and Wade. "That was the first time I've actually enjoyed sex. It wasn't just mindless grunting. Despite how much shit I give you," he poked Wade, "your ongoing stream of nonsense made this fun. I didn't know that there were so many ways to make a chimichanga." He turned to Peter. "As for you, you're the sensible one. Keeping Wade in check and all, but I'm kind of chaotic too, so you'll have fun." He kissed Peter's lips gently and splayed out on the bed. "I'm finally fucking happy."

Wade reached over and tugged Joel to his side, spooning him. "We love you, kid," he whispered. "Like I said before, if anyone tries to mess with you again, we'll fuck them up, right, Petey?"

Peter smiled and turned to face Joel, kissing his nose. "Always be here for you."

"I love you guys," Joel whispered, his eyes fluttering shut. "Thank you for making my life worthwhile."

Peter and Wade looked at each other and smiled before settling in with Joel and falling asleep.

* * *

"You promised me three months ago that if I ever became an official Avenger, I could use the suit. I'm an official Avenger now, so let me use the damn suit!" Joel stood, arms crossed, in front of Tony, who was finishing another update. "C'mon!"

"Joel, I'm going to be blunt. You're not big enough for the suit," Tony said, not looking up from his magnifying glass. "The suit is structured to my height, not someone who's five-foot-four." Joel's bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "Please, not the waterworks."

"Steve!" Joel disappeared from where he was standing. Tony sighed, rolling his eyes, and continued his work.

Joel reappeared right beside Steve, who was reading a newspaper in the main room. The blond looked up and jumped a little. "Joel, you know I'm never going to get used to that." He saw the look on the brunet's face and pulled him in for a hug. "What's wrong?"

"Remember when Tony promised I could use his Iron Man suit for a mission after I get inducted?" Steve nodded. "Now he's rescinding on it because I'm too small." His eyes brightened suddenly. "What if I did that super-soldier thing you did in the forties?"

"Joel, that's not a—" Steve started to say but Joel cut him off.

"You know I'm kidding, right? I don't think getting _more_ powers would do me any good." He looked at the floor. "I just want to be taller. I'm tired of being smaller than anyone else my age. It would sure lessen up on the harassment."

Steve looked down at Joel, expression serious. "Joel, I need to ask you something important." Joel quirked an eyebrow. "You said you dropped out of high school at fourteen, right?" He nodded. "Do you want to stay in school? We can set you up in your senior year, be right alongside Peter and that kid you saved, Travis."

Joel bit his lip, thinking it over. If he ever had to get a real job, he would need a real high school education, not the one that he frequently lied about. "I need to think about it. Thanks, Steve." He smiled and went up to his room. Peter and Wade had gone off somewhere, probably on patrol, and Joel lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, eventually falling asleep.

* * *

Tony groaned, leaning back in his chair. Steve had brought up the idea of Joel returning to Midtown High. "It's just going to mean more phone calls from the principal about him beating people up. The kid has anger issues. I mean, I understand why, but can't we just send him somewhere that doesn't call us every time something goes wrong?"

"If I may make a suggestion?" Peter spoke up; he'd been standing at the entryway. "A couple weeks ago, I mentioned to Joel the possibility of him going to the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. You know, the X-Mansion, It'll help him learn to hone his abilities better."

Steve nodded. "He's right. It would be a good idea to send him there."

"I wouldn't wish making Joel someone else's problem on anyone, not even the Professor," Tony muttered. "But if he doesn't learn how to control his powers, he'll be a menace."

"Hey, what's going on down here?" Wade appeared from behind Peter. He looked around. "Who are we talking shit about?" Peter nudged him. "What?"

"We were discussing what to do with Joel," Steve said pointedly. "And Peter was suggesting the X-Mansion to control his anger. Sometimes, if you just mention the simplest thing—and actually before you even finish that sentence—he'll blast you."

"Where is he right now anyway? If he were anywhere in the tower, he'd be coming down here to yell at us for talking about him behind his back." Tony looked around.

Peter looked up from his phone. "Uh, remember Joel's foster family?"

"You mean the one with the psycho HYDRA agent and the twins?" Peter nodded. "Did they—" Peter nodded again. "Shit."

* * *

Joel was atop the convenience store of which he'd saved before. He'd gotten a random tip that the store was about to be robbed again and set out to stop it.

"Hey, Joely." The brunet's eyes widened as he felt a chill run down his spine. "What's wrong? You don't seem so glad to see us." Joel turned to see Jake and Chris, wearing identical evil grins.

"Come on! I just dealt with that asshole last week! Why the fuck did they let you two go?"

"They can only hold us in jail for so long," Chris sneered, taking a step towards Joel. "We've waited seven years for this and it's going so perfectly. The terror on your face, it's a Kodiak moment."

Joel stepped back. "Get the fuck away from me," he warned. "I'm not the same little pushover I was at fourteen."

"We know what you are." Jake pulled out a taser. "And you won't feel a thing, promise."

"Oh yeah, like getting balls deep inside me didn't feel like anything," Joel sassed. He looked around and saw that his only escape—aside from teleporting—was the roof. "Fuck it." He dropped off the edge and landed swiftly on his feet. Before the twins reached the edge, he disappeared.

"Goddamn it!"

* * *

Joel reappeared at Avengers Tower and rushed inside, not stopping until he reached his room. He pulled the covers over his head as the tears ran down his cheeks.

A knock came at the door. "Joel, are you okay?" When they received no answer, Wade and Peter entered. "Joel?"

"G-go away!" He sniffled, trying to keep his voice even. The blanket slipped off of him and he looked up at Wade and Peter, red-eyed and tear-stained. "Don't look at me," he whimpered, turning away.

"Joel—" Peter sat beside him and wrapped him in an embrace. "Was it—" A sob escaped Joel's throat and he knew instantly. "I'm so sorry."

"Who do I need to maim?" Wade asked, opening Joel's closet and pulling out a couple knives. "I can slice them up real good as a warning." Peter looked at him and waved him over. "Or we can just do this tonight."

Joel felt himself relax in the hold of his boyfriends. "I don't understand why you guys even put up with me," he whispered. "I mean, I'm not very much. Sure, I have superpowers, but what else am I?" Peter and Wade looked at one another, not realizing that despite the tough front Joel put up, he suffered from a serious case of self-hatred, most likely instilled into him by his rough childhood.

"Hey, you mean a lot to us," Peter said softly, lifting his chin up with a finger. "You're smart, you're funny, you're sassy, you're hot—"

"And you're really good in bed," Wade offered. Peter gave him a look and shook his head. "What? He is."

The door opened slightly. "Joel?" Steve and Tony slipped inside. "Can we talk to you?"

"Y-yeah," he murmured, sitting up and running his wrist across his eyes. "What's going on?"

"We talked it over and we think that it may be best that you learn to control your abilities through attendance at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning," Steve said calmly, sitting at the edge of the bed. "It's not a punishment. It's just a way to also help you learn to control your impulses—"

"And anger issues," Tony inserted. "We don't need another hefty bill for you shooting at a psychologist."

"That was once!"

"Regardless, it's just a good idea. Please don't fight us on this, Joel. We want what's best for you." Steve reached over and laid a hand on Joel's.

The brunet exhaled. "Fine, I'll go. I should probably get away from here for a while to avoid—"

"Okay." Steve nodded. "We're taking the car to not make a whole scene of it. Get your stuff packed and we'll see you in the garage in half an hour." He and Tony left the room, closing the door behind them.

Joel turned to Peter. "This better not have been your suggestion."


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N**_ : I'm well aware that I'm portraying the X-Men out of character here, but I'm okay with that.

* * *

Joel walked down the long corridor towards his assigned room. Pulling his hastily packed suitcase behind him, he fumbled for his keys and was about to open the door when it was yanked open to reveal a young man wearing a glowing visor.

"What the hell do you want?" He snapped, glaring down at Joel.

"Hey, I'm your new roomie." Joel showed him the room assignment paper. "My name's—"

The boy scoffed. "I don't care what your name is. Left side's mine. Stay on yours and I won't have to hurt you. Understood?" Joel's eyes narrowed. "I said, is that understood?"

Joel shoulder-checked the other boy, pushing his way into the room. "Let's get a few things straight. First off, you need to drop the tough guy act. It's very nineties. Second, you can't be any older than seventeen. I'm twenty-one—"

"Then what are you doing here?" The guy smirked. "You're old, you're tiny, and I bet you don't even have any powers."

Joel put a hand up and blasted the kid across the room, narrowly missing the desk and landing against the furthest wall. "Think again, douchebag," he chuckled.

"Scott, what's going on?" A voice called out and a smaller blond boy came up behind Joel. The guy who was clearly Scott sat up, adjusted his visor, and glared at Joel.

"Nothing I can't handle, little bro," he growled, getting to his feet. "You're fucking dead." He pointed at Joel, who pretended to yawn.

The other boy intervened. "Scott, don't!" He looked at Joel. "I think you should go."

Joel cocked his head. "Yeah, see, I was assigned to room with this asshole, so I kind of can't." He held his hand out to the kid. "I'm Joel."

"Alex." The blond smiled.

"Hey," Joel looked to Scott, "truce?"

Scott didn't respond; he simply left the room, slamming the door behind him. "I'm sorry," Alex said. "He holds a grudge."

Joel heaved his luggage onto the bed and began to unpack. "So he's your _brother_?" Alex nodded. "I am so sorry."

"He's a good guy." Alex tried to defend but, seeing Joel's skeptical look, he faltered. "Yeah, he's a dick."

"His tough guy act?"

Alex snorted. "Bullshit," he replied. "He likes to think he's tough. He's not."

Joel finished unpacking and lay back on his bed, stretching out. "So what powers do you have?"

* * *

Wade and Peter were sitting on the couch in the main room, sandwiched between Clint and Natasha, and Bucky and Darcy. "No new big bads at the moment," Tony said. "So what do we do?"

"We could binge-watch something," Darcy suggested.

"Ooh!" Wade's hand flew into the air. "I know what we can watch!" He was practically bouncing in his seat.

 **DP** : Carter, are you there? Hello?

 **A** : Hey, Wade. Been a while.

 **DP** : We need your help. You have every Marvel movie ever, right?

 **A** : Give or take a couple, but yeah.

 **DP** : Can you bring them in here? We are so bored.

 **A** : Sure, hold on a sec. *collects movies* Ready.

"Carter!" Wade flung his arms around the young man, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Pete, Tin Man, and Cap already know him, but everyone else, this is Carter." The man waved shyly. "He's the guy who makes us look awesome on the Internet."

The other Avengers examined the newcomer with interest before Bucky slid over to allow him a seat. "Thanks," he grinned and sat down, opening his backpack and pulling out a multitude of movies.

"Whoa." Scott shifted through the pile. "This is so cool." He picked up the _Ant-Man_ Blu-ray and put it next to his face. "I look good, don't I?"

"If you guys want to shoot for the earliest, there's this one." Carter picked one up. "1944 Captain America serials, starring Dick Purcell as Cap. Fair warning, though, this doesn't follow Steve as we know him." Steve took the box from Carter and looked it over, a bemused expression crossing his features.

Wade nudged Carter. "Do you have _my_ movie?" Carter dug a USB drive from his pocket. "Awesome."

"So, wait," Tony spoke up, "where you're from, there are movies about us?"

"Yep," Carter nodded, "and they're blockbusters. There's three _Iron Man_ s, two _Captain America_ s, the third comes out in about two-and-a-half months, my time, of course. Two _Avengers_ movies, with a two-part third one in about three years. Seven _X-Men_ and _Deadpool_ just came out about a week and a half ago—"

Wade fist-pumped. "See! I am awesome enough to have my own movie!"

"Yes, you are, Wade." Carter waved him down. He leaned in close. "Between you and me, yours was the best in a long time." Wade beamed.

"So what order would you say we watch these in?" Darcy looked at the spread before her.

"Chronologically, we'd start with _Captain America: The First Avenger_ ," Carter said, picking it up.

* * *

Scott returned to his room, hoping Joel would be gone, but instead found his brother playing _Call of Duty: Black Ops III_ with the guy.

"Hey, Scott!" Alex looked up, pausing the game. "Joel's the coolest! Show him!" Joel glanced at Scott before closing his eyes to concentrate; the top half of his body became ice while the lower burst into flames. "He's like a mix of Bobby and Johnny. What other powers do you have?"

"Alex," Scott interjected, gritting his teeth. "It's almost curfew. Get to your room before someone catches you."

Alex's smile faltered. "O-okay," he said softly. "See you guys in the morning." He left, leaving Joel to turn off the PlayStation 4.

"He's a good kid," Joel mused. "You should be nicer to him."

Scott strode over to Joel and shoved him. "I don't need some loser telling me how to treat my little brother."

"Whoa, dude, you'd better be careful who you do that to," Joel said in a low voice. "One day you're going to do that to the wrong person and then, who knows?" His brown eyes turned glassy blue and he raised a hand, lifting Scott off the floor.

"Hey! Put me down!" Scott yelled. "Joel, put me the fuck down!" Joel only shrugged and raised him higher.

"You want to try and make amends before I send you flying?" Joel used his other hand to open the double-door windows. "An 'I'm sorry' would be a good starter."

The door opened and two boys—one brunet, the other blond—stared at the scene before them: Scott suspended in mid-air and Joel's hand pointed in his general direction. The blond rushed over and grabbed Joel's arms, pulling them behind his back; the brunet ran to catch Scott.

"Let go!" Joel struggled but the boy's grip only tightened. "You're making a big mistake!"

Scott straightened up and grabbed Joel's shirt into his fist. "No, _you're_ the one making a mistake right now, short stack." He punched Joel in the stomach and let him drop. "It's okay, Johnny. Let him go." Joel was released and he lay on the floor, clutching his stomach.

"Fuck," he whined.

Scott smirked and bent down beside Joel, lifting his chin slightly. "Might want to consider a room change," he whispered. "Because if you decide to stay here, I am going to make your time here extremely difficult."

As Scott and Johnny left, the brunet stayed behind and looked around cautiously before reaching down and stroking Joel's hair. The man shuddered and swatted his hand away.

"You're kinda cute," he said, unfazed by Joel's whimpering. "My name's Bobby, by the way."

"I'm taken," Joel hissed. "If they ever found out about this, you'd be in so much trouble."

Bobby scoffed. "But you're older. They'd think _you_ came onto _me_." He raised the pitch of his voice. "This guy, he held me down and tried to have his way with me!"

"I'm smaller than you!"

"That may be, but who are they more likely to believe? You, a troublesome high school dropout whose guardians sent you here to clean up your act, or me, all-around good guy and top student?" Bobby flicked Joel's forehead. "Everyone loves me here and you just made an enemy of one of the other top students. Good luck."

"Fuck you," Joel growled.

Bobby chuckled darkly. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He dusted off his hands and moved to leave. "Word of friendly warning, I would do what Scott says. Don't get on his bad side. Oh wait."

After Bobby left, Joel went over to the bed and pulled his phone out from under the pillow, having recorded the entire exchange, something he'd picked up as it had helped him put the twins away. "Got it."


	3. Chapter 3

The Avengers binge-watched their movies and, by halfway through, there were pizza boxes and take-out cartons littered across the floor. In a sleep break, Wade and Peter, about to go on patrol, looked at the groups that had been made: Tony, Steve, Clint, and Natasha; Thor, Jane, Bruce, and Wanda; Sam, Scott, and Rhodey; and Darcy, Bucky, Pietro, and Carter; the young author being spooned by the Sokovian speedster.

"Wonder how Joel's holding up," Peter whispered as he and Wade suited up. "Hope he's not shooting at everyone who says the wrong thing."

"Yeah," Wade agreed. "To be honest, Petey, I miss him. Like a lot. The way he'll snipe back when I say something pervy. How he sets up the chance for me to do so." He leaned his unmasked head on Peter's shoulder. "I want him here, with us, not at some posh, fancy-schmancy superhero school." Wade's bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "I want his cuddles."

A flash of light and a high-pitched shriek from Wade later, Joel stood before them, hands on his hips and a smirk firmly in place. "Did the great Wade Wilson just admit he missed me?" In an instant, Wade rushed him and picked him up. "O-okay! I get it! You missed me! Put me down, Wade!"

"Eleven hours, sixteen minutes, and forty-two seconds without you is like a lifetime!" Wade held Joel to his chest. "Sweet child, don't leave us again."

Joel whined and struggled in Wade's grip, looking to Peter for help, but the brunet only smiled and remained where he stood. _Traitor_ , he mouthed. "Wade, please, I came back because I need somewhere to hide out. I'm not going back to that place."

"Joel, did you blast someone you shouldn't have?" Peter came forward and unlatched Joel from Wade, eyeing the smaller man suspiciously. "You know you're supposed to—"

"Hey, he deserved to be blasted," Joel shot back. "He's a fucking douche."

Wade slid an arm around Joel. "Can I slice someone now? What's the asshole's name? Does he pose a serious threat?"

Joel was about to reply when he suddenly relived the feeling he'd had when Bobby touched him, shivering a little and suddenly finding himself curled into a ball on the bed. "Joel?" Peter rushed to his side and placed a comforting hand on his side. "Joel, did someone there try to—" A small whimper was all the answer they needed.

"Let me." Wade bent down and took both of Joel's hands, his mechanical one freezing cold. "Joely? This is stable, not crazy Wade talking. Nod if you understand." A slight head movement was what Wade accepted. "We've told you this time and time again. Don't you ever forget that Peter and I love you and would do whatever it took to keep you safe. Now, if you're comfortable, tell us the name of the fucker who tried to have his way with you?"

Joel exhaled and looked up at his boyfriends, eyes still brimming with tears. "Bobby Drake."

* * *

Bobby was outside, enjoying the good weather, alongside Scott, Emma, Raven, Hank, Johnny, and Peter. The latter was zipping around the grassy knoll, Scott trying to catch him, visor off.

"Hey, what'd you do to the new kid after Scott and I left?" Johnny asked, looking up from his compact mirror.

Peter sped over. "What new kid? There's a new kid? Where is he? What are his powers?"

Scott sighed heavily. "There's this twenty-one-year-old rooming with me. His parents sent him here to make him learn how to control his powers. From what I've seen so far, he can shoot energy blasts from his hands, the right of which is mechanical, and he can levitate both himself and others. But he's such a little shit, and I'm serious, he's tiny. Like five-foot-four."

"So you're pissy because someone finally stood up to you?" Raven asked, looking down from her spot in the branches. "Chill, Summers. No one's going to usurp your top student spot."

Scott was about to retort when Peter flew past them towards the building. The other six looked where he went and Scott groaned, seeing Joel sitting on the steps, head down in a book.

"Hi!" Peter bounced on his heels, hands behind his back. Joel looked up, eyebrow raised. Deeming the silver-haired boy a non-threat, he shut his book, _The Turner Diaries_ , and put it aside.

"Yes?" Peter noticed that he sounded irritated and quickly stepped back. "Speak. I know you talk really fast. What do you want?"

"I— I'm Peter," he said, offering his hand. "Peter M—"

"What are you doing?" Scott demanded, coming over to them. "The guy's a fucking freak. Leave him to his—whatever he's doing."

"I'm a fucking freak?" Joel scoffed. "Look who's talking with his big glowing goggles." He grabbed his book and stood up. "It was nice meeting you, Peter. Always a pleasure, Scott." He turned and headed inside.

"I know you snuck out this morning! The Professor won't be happy to hear about it!" Scott called after him. Joel stopped and slowly turned, eyes wide. The other boy smirked and crooked a finger, motioning Joel back towards him.

"Don't tell him, please," he stuttered.

"If you tell me where you went, I won't tell anyone." Scott folded his arms over his chest, smug look growing wider as he looked down at the man.

Joel sighed and avoided Scott's gaze. "I went to visit my—my boyfriends."

" _Boyfriends_? As in plural? You're not only a fag but you're also a slut?" Joel's fists clenched. "Aw, is Joely boy getting mad?"

"Dude, that's not cool," Peter murmured from beside him. "So what if he's gay? It's not like it's a big deal."

"Shut up, Peter," Scott growled and Peter gave Joel a sympathetic look before speeding away. "So you're fucking _two_ guys? What losers would even have someone like you?" Joel took several deep breaths before glaring up at Scott.

"You don't want to get on their bad side, Scott," Joel snapped. "They're going to fucking destroy you for messing with me."

Scott put his hands to his mouth in mock horror. "I'm so scared that Joel's boyfriends are going to hurt me. Oh God, what should I do?" He shoved Joel hard. "You need to learn your place, new kid. I'm going to show it to you." He pulled his fist back, but someone grabbed it from behind.

"Scott Summers, stop acting like a child." Joel looked around Scott to see a young blonde woman glaring at Scott. "Hi, I'm Emma." She gave Joel a small smile, which he returned. "Scott, leave the guy alone. He doesn't deserve to be subjected to your stupidity." To Joel, she said, "Come hang out with us. Scott will behave. Won't you, Scott?"

Sighing loudly, Scott shrugged. "Yeah, whatever." After Emma went back over to the others, he leaned towards Joel. "This isn't fucking over," he hissed.

"Behave yourself, Scotty." Joel reached up and ruffled his hair before running over to the group to avoid retaliation.

* * *

"It's a good thing, Wade," Peter was saying as they walked down an alley. "He'll come back happier and more in control. I know you want him around, but this is good for him." He slid an arm around Wade's middle and kissed him. "In the meantime, I'm not going anywhere." Peter stopped and jumped up, wrapping his legs around Wade's waist.

"Is a certain spider feeling kinky?" Wade raised an eyebrow and rolled up his mask to the nose. "Because Wade Junior is pretty excited right now."

Peter propelled himself forward, pushing Wade into the wall, kissing his lips with an air of intensity. "Super penis," he whispered, tugging gently on Wade's lower lip with his teeth.

"You know me too well," Wade moaned. "Let's go somewhere we won't be disturbed, although public sex does sound fun." He was silenced once more as Peter kissed him.

Isaac McDaniels was heading down the street, camera in hand and looking for a halfway decent story to blow out of proportion when he saw the activity in the alley. His downtrodden look turned gleeful and he ducked behind a dumpster to snap pictures of Deadpool and Spider-Man making out and clearly about to get it on.

"Holy shit, this is too good," he muttered to himself. "I can see it now. Secret Superhero Relationship Exposed by Professional Photographer." McDaniels was far from professional and the gossip tabloid he worked for was anything but reputable, but people still read their stuff and McDaniels' boss would be happy. "I'm so getting a promotion for this," he giggled like a schoolgirl.

"Fuck, Wade!" Peter put his hands on Wade's katanas. "Call me Spidey."

"Sp-Spidey!" Wade tossed his head back, unzipping his suit and using his gloved fingers to poke a hole into Spider-Man's suit. "I'll sew it up later, I promise."

Peter whined as Wade's fingers moved around inside him. "Teleport. Now. Wade, fucking teleport." The two disappeared, leaving a somewhat aroused McDaniels leaning against the wall.

"Oh, I fucking got it."

* * *

"Hold up! So Pietro dies at the end of this one?!" Wanda glared at Carter, who put his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, I didn't write the movie!" He said. "I just watch them! If anyone's to blame in my universe, it's Joss Whedon! But don't kill him. He's made too many good TV shows. He might make more."

Bruce tapped on Carter's shoulder. "So if he died in the movie, why is he right there?" He nodded to the blond man, who was sitting in Carter's lap.

"Because I don't like offing characters that I like," he explained. "Where I'm from, it's called canon divergence, like an alternate reality. Pietro lives because I'm rather fond of him." He ruffled Pietro's hair, who smiled happily. "Say, hypothetically, I didn't like one of you guys. I could easily take you out." He snapped his fingers. "Like that. But I love all of you, so I won't."

"What's the next one?" Scott asked from beside Tony.

"Yours." Scott fist-pumped as Carter removed the disc from its box and switched it with _Age of Ultron_. "We only have this and Wade's movie left, and I don't want to do that without him here. But maybe we can go for the older stuff. Who's in?" Everyone raised their hands. "And off we go." He pressed play.

* * *

 _ **A/N**_ : Reviews are greatly appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N**_ : This took a lot longer than it really should have, but I had a surge of creativity last night since I was by myself at work and there were several hours of nothing to do. Also, if you can guess what inspired the name of the tabloid, huge nerd points to you.

* * *

When Joel returned to his room, he couldn't find his knapsack. "Goddamn it," he muttered, looking all over the room. He was going to visit the Avengers, claiming he was on a break, but he needed his bag first.

"Looking for something?" A voice drawled. Joel whipped around to see Scott and Johnny standing at the door, the latter was trying—and failing—to conceal his snickering.

"Where's my bag, Scott?" Joel stood up and clenched his fists. The boy with the visor strode towards him and stood, towering over Joel. "Look, I don't have time for this. Stop being a petty bitch and give me my shit."

Scott scoffed and glanced over his shoulder at Johnny. "Do you hear the way he talks to me? Should we teach his puny ass a lesson?" The blond murmured an agreement and Joel stepped back.

"Scott, please. This isn't— Why are you such an asshole? What did I do to piss you off so much?"

Scott tilted his head and pushed Joel to the floor. "You really want to know why, Joel? You waltz in here acting like a rebel because you're older than us and like you don't need to be here. You talk tough but underneath all that, you're a scared little boy who doesn't know how hard the world is to mutants like us." Joel's gaze hardened and he raised a hand as if he were going to blast Scott but he only pulled himself to his feet.

"First off, I did not walk in here like _Rebel Without a Cause_ ," he growled. "Secondly, I _do_ know how bad the world outside is. Maybe not because I'm a mutant, but because I spent two years of my teenage life on the streets of New York, making money by selling my body!" The two boys watched Joel, taken aback at this outburst. "I'm not saying I can sympathize with you guys, but I've been looked down upon for who I am." He sat on the bed and exhaled.

Scott opened his mouth to say something but only shut it. He took a seat beside Joel and Johnny sat on the floor. "This is so weird," Joel mumbled, looking at the two of them. "Two minutes ago, you were about to beat me up and now we're like this. If the admission of my past didn't work, I was going to use my status as an Avenger—"

"You're an _Avenger_?" Johnny asked, looking at Joel incredulously. "No fucking way." Joel pulled out his phone, scrolling through his images until he found the team photo they took after Peter was initiated. He held it up for them to see.

"Holy shit," Scott muttered, examining the picture closely. "Is that Deadpool?" He pointed to where Wade had stuck his head into the picture at the last minute, right behind Peter and Joel.

Joel chuckled a little and nodded. "Yeah, that's him, and there's me." He singled out his spot beside Spider-Man, in his green-and-black suit and red ski mask. "Storm Bane. I know it's stupid but it's better than The Incredible Mask."

"Hey, Joel?" Scott fidgeted with his hands. "I know you're probably never going to—"

"Just forget about it, Scott. It's cool." Joel waved it off.

"But—" Scott started and stopped. "I'm sorry. I mean, it's not just gonna go away because I apologized. Can we start over?"

Joel seemed to mull this over. "I'm Joel."

"Scott. This is Johnny." Johnny put up a hand in a wave.

"So what _exactly_ are your powers?" Joel put his phone away and opened the window.

* * *

"Hey, Pete, how are you holding up?" Peter looked up from rearranging his locker to see Harry, MJ, and Gwen watching him with somber expressions. He put down his science textbook and shut the locker.

"Okay, who died?" He asked, glancing at each one of them in wonder.

Gwen laid a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Remember that promise the three of us made the day you started going out with Wade?" Peter nodded slowly.

"We're gonna kill him. Or to the best of our abilities since he can regenerate." Harry came up behind him and wrapped a protective arm on his shoulders.

Peter watched his friends before letting out a huge sigh. "Alright, what did Wade do now?" Last time they said they'd kill Wade, the merc had inadvertently led one of the people he wronged to Peter, only managing to subdue them before they could lay a hand on his 'baby boy'.

"You don't know?" MJ pulled up a page on her phone and showed Peter, who paled.

 **TIMELY ATLAS INFOTAINER**

 _ **SECRET SUPERHERO RELATIONSHIP EXPOSED: DEADPOOL AND SPIDER-MAN?!**_

"Oh, fuck."

"Hey, Parker, looks like your freaky boyfriend found someone much more fitting, huh?" Max Whitmore called out. Travis stood beside him and nudged him, shaking his head. "Shut up, dude."

Travis walked over to Peter. "Hey, Peter," he said softly. "Um, I was wondering if you knew where Joel was. Wanted to thank him again for saving me and all."

"Uh, Joel doesn't go here anymore," Peter replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Evidently, it never got out that Joel was never a high school student in the first place, but Peter didn't feel that it was his place to inform Travis of that. "He transferred to a school upstate."

"Oh." Travis looked at the floor. "By the way, I don't believe what that crap tabloid is saying. I know Wade wouldn't cheat on you." He winked and Peter stared at the redhead, wide-eyed. "Don't worry, my lips are sealed."

"Hey, Petey!" Wade called out, bounding over to the small gathering, only to receive dirty looks from Harry, MJ, and Gwen. "Whoa, who died?"

"You in about two seconds," MJ hissed, turning her phone to him.

"Sweetie, you know I can't die," Wade cooed before glancing down at the phone. He snatched it out of her hand. "What the shit?!"

Harry crossed his arms over his chest, glaring daggers at Wade. "You have five seconds to explain this, Wilson." The merc only looked from the article to his boyfriend's angry friends to his boyfriend, who was wearing a small smirk, clearly enjoying Wade's reaction.

"Baby Boy, you know I would _never_ cheat on you," Wade said, latching onto the brunet. "There are so many alternate universes with Deadpools, it could be any one of them. Y'know, Evil Deadpool looks _exactly_ like me!"

"Yeah, minus the obvious dismembered body parts of yours," Peter deadpanned. He placed a finger on Wade's scarred lips and grabbed the front of the man's hoodie, yanking him close. "Don't let it happen again or we're through." Out of the corner of his eye, Peter could see his friends relax somewhat and pecked Wade on the cheek. "Now let's go get some of your favorite Mexican so we can wipe that sadness off your face."

Wade brightened instantly and he swept Peter off his feet. "Don't worry, Petey Pie. Spidey and I are history! You and Joel are the only ones for me!"

"Wait, how is Joel involved in—?" But Wade had already fled, Peter slung over his shoulder before Harry could finish.

* * *

"Hi, I'm here to see Isaac McDaniels," Joel said politely to the pretty blond receptionist at TAI. "I'm a former co-worker and I've come to express my congratulations on his recent success."

Cindy—as her name tag spelled out—smiled so brightly Joel could swear he almost went blind. "Right this way." She stood and extended an arm as way of guiding Joel down the hallway. "Mr. McDaniels' promotion for the Spider-Man/Deadpool story was huge. He now has his own office and I'm his personal assistant."

"Very nice." Joel nodded. "Isaac and I go way back. We shared a, uh, corner office at a high-end business in Manhattan." He could only mask the truth so much, but clearly this girl wasn't going to start asking questions.

Cindy opened the door. "Go right on in. Mr. McDaniels will return in a moment." Joel gave her a curt nod and walked around the room, narrowly dodging the clutter.

"How may I help y—" Isaac walked in and looked up from his paperwork when he saw Joel and dropped his papers. "J-Joel?"

"Hey, Zac." Joel strode over to the older male and smirked up at him. "Been too long. How long has it been? Five years? And the celebrity gossip business, huh?" Isaac only stood there, staring at Joel. "Enough small talk. I need you to detract the Spideypool story."

Isaac, having finally regained himself, shook his head. "I can't do that. That story's paying for my life right now."

"I don't think you see the severity of the situation, Isaac." Joel pulled out an envelope. "Do you know what blackmail is?" He opened it to pull out a handful of pictures. "If you don't write something that tells people that story was a fake, I'll release these pictures of your days as a street hooker."

"You wouldn't dare," Isaac snapped. Joel cocked his head to the side, his smirk getting wider.

"Try me." Joel picked out a random one. "Oh yeah, this one. You were nineteen, I was sixteen. The day you roofied my drink and had your somnophiliac way with me, a poor, defenseless, _underaged_ boy."

Isaac looked between the pictures and Joel. "What did I do to make you hate me so much?" He asked, sitting in his revolving chair.

Joel moved forward and smacked Isaac across the face, hard. "Did you suffer amnesia or something?" He shouted. "You, Isaac Winick McDaniels, are the reason I even became a fucking prostitute! You never even saw it, you fucking tool! I was in love with you and you used me as a toy. The kid you wanted around to make yourself look cool, which, trust me, you're not _that_ cool, even with me around. You coerced me into working with you. You said you—you'd let me do stuff to you."

"I did love you—"

"Bull-fucking-shit. If you loved me like you claim you did, you wouldn't have done what you did, dragging me around like a rag doll and showing me off to your friends like a prize to be won. Fuck you, Zac. Detract that shit or these go viral. I have no shame in releasing these. Do you?" Without another word, Joel snapped his fingers and vanished.

* * *

At a newsstand outside Times Square, a tall brunette stopped on her way to work and examined the magazines until her gaze landed on the latest _Timely Atlas Infotainer_. _**SECRET SUPERHERO RELATIONSHIP EXPOSED: DEADPOOL AND SPIDER-MAN?!**_ The headline screamed. Interested, she picked it up and scanned the pages, landing on McDaniels' only professional shot of Deadpool up against a brick wall, lips locked with Spider-Man.

"Oh, Wade, Wade, Wade. What have you gotten yourself into?"


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N**_ : Sorry this took so long. I've been suffering writer's block for the past six months.

* * *

After finishing _X-Men: Days of Future Past_ , the Avengers took another break, but this time, Carter revealed that he had to leave. As everyone had become a giant cuddle pile on the couch, the young man had to fight his way out and toppled to the floor, hair ruffled.

"Don't go!" Pietro whined, reaching out for Carter from his spot between his sister and Scott.

"Buddy, I _have_ to go. Believe it or not, my life does not actually revolve around watching movies," Carter said gently, taking Pietro's hand. "I have a job and the revenue from said job renders me able to buy all these movies." He piled the discs back into his bag and hitched it over his shoulder. "Ooh, actually, before I forget, I have something for you, Darce." The brunette looked up from nuzzling Bucky. Carter pulled out a teddy bear and the girl squealed, making grabby hands for it. He handed it to her and she hugged it to her chest.

"It's so cute!" Bucky looked over at the stuffed toy and flushed. "Please tell me it's called Bucky Bear?" Carter nodded and Darcy squealed again.

"Wait, did you say Bucky Bear?" Steve's voice came out muffled from underneath Tony and Clint. His blond head popped out and he gasped. "No way! Where did you get one of those?!"

"Internet." Carter shrugged, trying—and failing—to keep from smirking. He was evidently trying to ignore the death glare Bucky was sending him while watching Darcy cuddle the bear. "Hey, don't look at me like that, Buck." The man with the prosthetic arm extracted himself from the pile and was advancing slowly on Carter. "Don't you get it?" He put up his hands in surrender. "You are so getting some tonight," he said in a low voice, which made Bucky stop and look down at Carter, eyebrow raised. "Yeah. I got it for her because she'll need to cuddle you when you go on missions. And when you're _not_ on missions—" Carter was suddenly attack-hugged by Darcy. "Oh my...!"

"Thank you!"

He patted her on the back awkwardly. "No problem."

The pile slowly began to unravel; Steve and Darcy marveled over the toy while Bucky sat on his haunches, looking mildly irritated.

"When did you find the time to get one of those?" Scott asked from behind Carter.

"Had Wade send me back for a couple hours while you lot were asleep last night," Carter explained. "Tried to get time off work, but there's only one other guy who'll work the graveyard shift besides me, so I'll be gone for a few days and then I'll come back during my time off and we can watch some really weird movies." When all he got were confused looks, he chuckled and only said, "You'll see."

* * *

"So the story was retracted, just like that?" Gwen scrolled the TAI website, Peter and MJ on her sides. "Half an hour ago, it was all the rage. Now... not so much."

Peter looked down at his phone to see a text from Joel that only said, " _Taken care of._ " "I think I have a pretty good idea," he muttered.

"Petey, that tabloid is ruining everything," Wade's voice whispered. Peter spun around so fast he fell out of his chair. "Graceful much?"

"Fuck you, Wade," Peter grumbled, dusting himself off. "Tabloid's off the site. Sure, people saw it, but it's been taken down." Before Wade could open his mouth, Peter showed him the text. "I don't even want to know how."

"I do. D'you know where he is?" Peter shrugged. "Can we get Mexi—" From the look on his boyfriend's face, Wade stopped. "Or maybe the Chinese place Joel likes? To thank him for saving our asses?" With a small nod from Peter, Wade cuddled into his side. "I got stopped on the street and asked who Spidey was." Peter glanced down, eyebrow raised. "I didn't tell them. What kind of monster do you take me for?"

"Hey, guys," a new voice spoke up. Wade whined when Peter moved slightly to look over the desk to find Travis. "I was wonderin' if maybe we could hang out sometime?" The redhead looked nervous but hopeful. Wade, Peter, and the girls exchanged looks. "Please? I— I don't have real friends. My dad's job kinda fucked that up. Always doing background checks on the people I brought home. I live with my aunt and uncle now."

Peter hesitated but Wade elbowed him. "He already knows," he murmured. "Would be nice to have someone since Joel's gone." Gwen and MJ smiled slightly. "We can fuck with him and the fourth wall. Right, Author?"

 **A** : Shut up, Wade.

* * *

Joel's time at the X-Mansion had gotten better as Scott became one of his closest confidantes. The two had bonded over their mutual love of comics, and Joel shared his in-universe issues as well but not acknowledging his connection to reality. However, there still was a looming problem in Joel's life, and it came in the icy form of Bobby Drake, who enjoyed making Joel uncomfortable by flirting with him, and then turning it around to make himself seem the victim. Joel, not being the kind of guy who snitched, kept the recording but said nothing more on the subject, even when Bobby made passes at him.

"C'mon, Joel, why are you such a tease?" The brunet mocked, rubbing his foot up and down the older male's leg during free period. "Thought you liked this. Don't you sleep with everyone? Used to be a prostitute." Joel clenched his jaw but said nothing and focused on his paper.

"Drake, who are you harassing now?" A blond boy turned in his seat. Joel sunk in his chair and groaned quietly. "You're not the first, dude. Don't worry."

Bobby straightened up and folded his hands, feigning innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about, Worthington." He gave the present instructor a charming grin. "I gotta go. See you tonight." His hand brushed Joel's shoulder, making the man flinch.

"How bad is it?" The boy asked. "When Bobby Drake picks someone to annoy, that person really suffers." He looked Joel up and down. "I heard about you—"

"All good, I bet," Joel muttered, playing with his pen.

The boy nodded. "Name's Warren. Warren Worthington. You need anything, just ask." Joel nodded weakly and sighed. "Saw that you and Summers are getting along. Must help a little."

"Does everyone think Bobby's a great guy, and only few know that he's a fucking creep?" Warren nodded. "Well, that's just perfect."

"I'm sure you've gotten the whole 'if you show weakness, it only gets worse' bullshit lecture, but with Bobby Drake, it really does. It's cliche but if you fight back against the little prick, he'll back off. He used to do the same to me before I kicked his ass."

Joel looked at his work. "I can't, though. I promised my dads I wouldn't. Besides, it'd look pretty bad if a twenty-one-year-old beat the crap out of a seventeen-year-old, even if he deserved it."

"You didn't hear it from me, but—" Warren looked around before leaning in. "There's an off-site fight club. It's Tuesday and Thursday nights, midnight. I'll take you tonight if you want."

Joel looked up at the ceiling. "Why?"

 **A** : Why not? It keeps the narrative flowing.

* * *

"I'm bored!" Pietro whined, speeding around the Tower. Everyone else was too wrapped up with their significant other to pay the Sokovian man any attention. "Why are your relationships real and mine's not even in this reality?"

"Well, we did try to set you up with that blind date," Wanda pointed out, looking up from cuddling with Rhodey. "But he was too American for you." She rolled her eyes. "And your beloved writer is American. I don't understand you sometimes."

While cuddling both her real and stuffed Buckys, Darcy looked up. "So is this supposed to be what the movies don't show?"

"Easier not to question it," Bucky mumbled. "You heard the kid. If we piss him off, he'll kill us."

Tony opened his mouth to yell something but Steve elbowed him hard in the side. "Don't you dare," he said in a low voice.

Wade and Peter walked into the room and looked around. "Why is everyone just looking at the ceiling? Did—" Pietro came up behind Wade and clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shh, we don't want to upset him," the speedster whispered.

"Who? JARVIS?" Peter looked at the ceiling.

"Master Stark has raised the possibility of the young master Carter eliminating all present life as you know it," the AI explained calmly.

Peter glared at the billionaire, whose attention was focused on the above. "Damn it," he muttered. "He's not going to kill us, okay? Who upset him?"

"No one," Scott answered, then added ominously. "Yet."

"He likes you," Sam murmured, looking at Pietro. "You talk to him."

Pietro looked around nervously, everyone giving him encouraging nods. "Uh, okay. Hello?"

 **A** : Pietro?

"You're not gonna hurt us because of Stark, are you?" Tony clutched Steve's arm.

 **A** : Why would I hurt you? Any of you? Is this because I said I could off any of you in a snap?

Silence.

 **A** : I'm not going to kill anyone. Even if you said horrible things, I wouldn't harm a hair on any of your heads.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal the brunette from the newsstand, who strode up to Wade, giving him a blank look. Peter looked between the woman and his boyfriend. "It's been too long," was all she said.

"V— Vanessa?"


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N**_ : Sorry this took so long. I hit a roadblock during initial writing, but an _X-Men_ marathon I did this week prior to _Logan_ really helped my muse.

* * *

"Hey, Petey?" Wade whispered, nudging his boyfriend in the side as they lay in bed. Peter grunted, which Wade accepted as a response. "I was wonderin'... Maybe we could take our relationship to the next level. We've known each other for six years and... I dunno. I know we're gonna be together forever, but I wanna make it official."

Peter sat up, wide awake and alert towards his significant other's unusual seriousness. "Wade, are you trying to—"

"Marry me, Peter."

The teenager blinked a few times to make sure he was fully awake and he ran a hand through his bedhead. "B-but what about Vanessa? And Joel?"

"Vanessa and I were a thing once. You heard her. When I met you, she knew before we did." Wade put an arm around Peter's shoulders. "And Joel. Sweet, sadistic little Joel... It can be the three of us."

"Polygamy is illegal here," Peter reasoned. He couldn't get married; he was _sixteen_. "Wade..."

The merc's deep brown eyes turned sad and puppy-like. "I get it. You don't want us to be bound forever." His voice put on something of a whine and Peter winced. He hated when Wade got like this because he always felt like the bad guy. Wade took a deep breath. " _'Cause I can't make you love me if you don't. You can't make your heart feel something it won't. Here in the dark, in these final—_ "

"Shut up in there!" A voice shouted, banging on the bedroom door and making both men jump. "No one needs to hear Wilson singing Bonnie Raitt at three-thirty in the morning!"

Peter took Wade's hand and squeezed it. "Let's talk it over later today. And with Joel. Okay?" He leaned over and pressed his lips to Wade's gently. "I love you, Wade."

Wade smiled against Peter's mouth. "Love you too, Petey."

* * *

"Joel?" A voice whispered in the darkness. "Joel, wake up." The brunet groaned and rolled onto his side, opening his eyes, only to find a familiar silver-haired boy sitting on his bed.

"What's wrong, Peter? It's four in the morning."

Peter was silent for a moment and he pulled his knees up to his chest. "Do you know your parents, Joel?"

"Unfortunately. Why?"

"My mom, she's great and all... well, not so much after she started drinking again, but... I never knew my dad. Wish I did though." Joel sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Not a good time?"

"Well, I'm awake now." Joel put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "I hate to break it to you, but parents suck. If your dad didn't stick around, it must mean he's not all that great. I had _both_ parents. They were assholes. I mean, yeah, I miss them after the car accident that took their lives, but they were still assholes." Joel sighed. "They never accepted me, even before I came out. They never wanted me. They got married because he got her pregnant. She wasted no time in telling me I was a mistake."

Peter's eyes widened. This was the most vulnerable he had ever seen Joel, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's fine, Peter. I'm not torn up about it or anything. Just... Focus on you. I mean, you're an X-Man, dude. You should be out fighting bad guys and kicking ass."

"Thanks, Joel. You know, you're good at giving advice..."

"No, I'm not. I'm going back to sleep. Get out."

* * *

Joel woke late the next morning. He glanced at his phone. 8:47. "Shit," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. He was supposed to be visiting with Peter and Wade today, and he needed coffee. After a quick shower and dress, he opened his door to find a line of students down the hall to— well, he couldn't see that far, but it was long.

"What do you people want? Go about your day." He closed the door and looked at the kids.

"Peter said you could help us," the boy at the head of the line spoke. Joel leaned against the door and groaned, covering his face. He was going to kill the speedster as soon as he got his hands on him.

Uncovering his face with a forced grin, Joel pushed a hand through his hair. "I don't know what that speedy little shit told you, but I am not a therapist. I got enough problems of my own without getting into anyone else's." Some of the kids looked dejected and began to disperse, and Joel couldn't help but feel a little bad. "Wait." He was going to regret this. "Who wants to go first?"

* * *

Peter was sitting on the balcony of the room he shared with Wade, looking out across the city. It had been almost two weeks since a legitimate threat had come up, and now he needed a hobby. It had been a while since his photography gig, but with the recent publicity scandal involving Spider-Man, he wasn't exactly enthusiastic.

"How about traveling?" A voice asked. Peter turned to see Pietro and Wanda at the door. "Chill. Your waves are engaging." The twins leaned against the door. "You got nothing to do, right?" Pietro shrugged; Wanda had just pulled him out of a funk from missing Carter. "Will you relax? He'll be back soon. Just take Peter to a few countries, get some culture."

Pietro groaned but after a disapproving look from his sister, he nodded. "Fine." He put a hand on Peter's back, the other on the back of his head. "Ready?" Peter looked at him, nodding slightly. With a flash of light, they were gone.

* * *

"I'm just so angry." Joel sat on his bed across from Warren Worthington. "I guess it's because before coming here, I felt out of place. Having these—" He motioned to his wings. "Not very accepted in society."

"Warren, your wings are awesome. I wish I could fly with those. Besides, when you get in a fight, you can use them to your advantage. You're a great guy. I haven't seen any bursts of anger. And it's normal. You're seventeen. You have every right to be angry. We're not accepted, and you know what? Fuck them. The humans, they're jealous they're not extraordinary like us."

Warren nodded with a small smile. "Yeah. You're right." He stood up. "Thanks, Joel." He left and Joel leaned back on his bed, beaming. He actually felt like he was making the school a better place. A knock came at the door and he waved a hand.

"How can I help—" He sat up and stilled.

"Hey, hot stuff."

Joel approached the sixteen-year-old cautiously "What do you want, Bobby?"

"Heard you're everyone's new favorite guidance counselor," the boy replied, smirking. "I need some guidance."

"No shit, sociopath, but you're not getting it here. Leave before I have to make you." Bobby put his hands up in surrender. "You can try to manipulate me all you want, but I will not help you."

Bobby stepped towards Joel, whose hands lit up in fire in case Bobby decided to get handsy. "Joel, I'm serious. I'm not here to fuck with you. I really do need to talk to someone." It was times like these Joel wished he had more abilities, particularly telepathy, like the Professor. "Just five minutes. Please?"

Joel looked at the ceiling. "I hate you," he mouthed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Wade was lying on a table in Tony's lab, getting bullets pulled from him by Wanda. The merc was uncharacteristically quiet, with the exception of a few whines every couple minutes.

Peter walked into the lab, sunburned beyond belief, and looked at Wade, who returned his gaze with a pout. "Not a word. What the hell did you do now?"

"Got into a shootout with some gangsters who were in the middle of a drug deal," Tony explained monotonously, not looking up from his work. "You know, Joel's birthday is coming up. I'm building a new suit so he'll stop whining about that deal I made with him."

"Petey?" Wade whispered, reaching out for his boyfriend. "Promise me something?" Peter rolled his eyes but took Wade's hand. "Kill the Author. He's making me suffer."

"He did warn you," Joel said, appearing on Wade's other side. "Remember how you tricked him into giving spoilers?"

Wade let out a pitiful, high-pitched whine. "You don't love me!" Joel exhaled heavily. "You were supposed to be here earlier! Maybe I wouldn't be in so much pain if you were more punctual!" Joel narrowed his eyes and took one of the bullets from the tray, hovering it over Wade's face.

"You want to start something, Wade?" The man asked softly. "I've already had something of a shitty day, so do you really want to piss me off further?" Wade shook his head slightly and Joel put the bullet down. "All right then."

"You alright, Joel?" Peter asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm basically a guidance counselor for a bunch of whiny teenagers," he grumbled. "How can I be alright? As long as you don't drop some kind of bomb..."

* * *

"Okay, wait, wait, wait, back up." Joel put his hands in front of him before crossing his arms over his chest, looking at his boyfriends with skepticism. "You want to have a _polygamous marriage_?" Wade nodded excitedly, a wince crossing his features from his lingering pain. "As much as I love you guys—and I really fucking do; Wade, you and Pete are the best thing that's ever happened to me—this marriage would be considered illegal in this country. You do realize this, right?" When Wade gave Joel his big, wide eyes, the tiny brunet sighed. "Look, as down as I am to become Joel Richardson-Parker-Wilson or Wilson-Parker, we'll figure that one out, I—"

Peter took and squeezed Joel's hand. "No rush, dude. How's school going anyway? We didn't really give you a chance to say much when you got here. What's this about being a guidance counselor?"

Joel looked at the floor. "Well, I haven't blasted that icy pain in the ass if that's any consolation," he murmured. "The counselor thing... those kids are great and all, but ever since Peter M— The thing is, I fear that this story is becoming a bit too cliched and we should really have a chat with the author about it."

"Marry us, damn it!" Wade shouted, shaking his fist at the ceiling. Peter only looked between his boyfriends and shook his head. The three of them stood in silence for about a minute before Tony, Clint and Scott walked into the room.

"Fighting with the all-powerful again?" Tony asked, putting an arm around Joel.

Joel looked up with a bit of a smirk. "How would you feel about you and Steve giving me away at a polygamous wedding to Deadpool and Spider-Man?"

"WHAT?!"


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N**_ : I really tried to take the focus off of Joel and move on to other characters, but this is what I managed for this chapter.

* * *

Tony and Steve paced in front of the three men. Peter kept his eyes down, Wade was immersed in a mobile game, and Joel sat, arms crossed, pouting. "Okay, look, I didn't say yes or anyth—" He grumbled before silencing at the look on Tony's face. "Sorry, Dad."

"I don't like it." The first words from Steve in almost half an hour. "Joel, you're barely able to care for yourself." The young man opened his mouth to protest but closed it and sat back. "Peter's only sixteen. And Wilson—" He looked at the merc, who was silently cheering from advancement on his game. "I'm not going to say it."

"I-If I may?" Peter raised his hand. "I would do anything for these two. Sure, Wade's a royal pain in the ass, but when it comes down to it, he's always there for me and Joel. And Joel," he cast a look at the man, who gave him a warm smile, "he's probably the most level-headed one of us, anger issues aside. I want to be with them forever. Of course, right now, marriage is out of the question. Aunt May would kill me." He gave Tony and Steve a lopsided grin and sat down, gingerly avoiding hitting somewhere he was sunburned.

Joel spoke up. "Dad, Pop, you know I would never do anything like this without your permission, right? I respect you both, even though I don't act like it most of the time. Peter and Wade make me happy, happier than I've probably ever been." He nudged Peter in the side. "Also, to ease your minds, I'm doing good at school. Haven't blasted anybody in a while, even that kid who's sexually harassing me— Aw, fuck."

Tony and Steve looked at each other with wide eyes. Wade paused his game and joined Peter in giving Joel a look as if to encourage him to elaborate. "Joel..." Peter raised an eyebrow. "You said it was a one-time thing."

"Well, I never actually said that, but—" The brunet shifted uncomfortably and looked up at his dads. "There's this guy at the mansion who likes to... y'know, touch me in inappropriate ways. I'd stop him but he's bigger than me and... he's sixteen. If I retaliated, it'd look really bad and he's a good student... I'm sorry." Joel looked at the floor.

Steve bent down in front of Joel and gently lifted his chin; tears were streaming down the young man's face. "Joel, it's not your fault," he said softly.

"If I wasn't such a fuck-up, maybe this wouldn't be happening," he whispered. "They all know... they all know who I am, what I've done. Most don't care. I mean, they like me, but some of them look at me as if I'm a bigger freak than them." Joel took a shuddering breath and he vanished.

* * *

A bang from within notified Peter that Joel had returned. The silverblond speedster poked his head into the room. "Joel, is that you?" When he received no answer, he entered to find Joel lying face-down on the bed. Peter was torn between leaving to give him some space and offering his help. He was about to quietly depart when Joel raised his head.

"Peter?"

"Yeah." He sat beside Joel and gave him a hug. "Anything I can do?"

Joel accepted the hug and put his head on Peter's shoulder. "Just stay with me for a bit. I don't want to do any counseling for the rest of the day."

"Can I ask you something?" Joel nodded. "You wanna... maybe..."

"Are you asking me out, Peter?" Peter was silent for a moment and Joel smiled up at him. "You're my friend, dude. You and Scott are my closest buds here. And, well, I'm in a relationship already."

Peter nodded and returned Joel's smile. "You want to tell me what Iceman's deal is? He seems obsessed with you."

"That icy little fucker only pesters me because I don't give in to his shit. He tried to use his 'failure with relationships' as his excuse for harassing me." Joel played with the hem of his shirt. "It's too much like—" He stopped, but Peter knew; he'd heard all the stories of who Joel was before he came to the mansion. He hadn't believed any of them, but now he realized that some of the darker ones were very likely true.

"I didn't want to ask because it was none of my business, but now my curiosity has peaked." Joel glanced at him. "Your right hand?"

"A gift from my dads," Joel explained quietly, flexing the mechanical device a little. "Dad's an inventor, Pop's an octogenarian." Tony was going to kill him when he found out Joel was telling people this.

"I don't really listen to rumors, but one of them was that your dads are Iron Man and Captain America." Peter picked at his leather pants. When Joel didn't respond, wide brown eyes looked at him in wonder. "No fucking way."

"I'm adopted, but yes." Joel chuckled at the look on Peter's face and ruffled his hair. "Chill. I'll introduce you sometime." Then it dawned on him, but he kept his mouth shut.

* * *

"It stops. Now." Scott had Bobby up against the wall, his free hand on his visor. "I can't believe you're doing this again." Bobby opened his mouth to try and weasel his way out of it, but Scott continued. "Jean read your mind." The redhead looked up from her tablet and gave Bobby a disgusted look. "He's broken enough without you harassing him."

"I guess the mystery continues," Bobby said, attempting to pry Scott's hand from his neck. "How much of the bullshit about the guy's life is true? Dead parents at twelve, hooker at fourteen, high school dropout, kid of the _Avengers_ , etc. I bet it's really some ruse to get attention."

Jean stood up and moved beside Scott. "You know I don't like rooting through people's heads, but the rumors of what happened to Joel, they're all true. He's gone through a lot, Bobby. Sometimes I see him in the hallway, acting like he hasn't a care in the world. He puts on a brave face because he's scared of what people will think if he showed vulnerability."

"He's just like us." Scott released Bobby. "Leave him alone. Don't even try to apologize, just don't interact with him."

Bobby scoffed. "You know, for a guy who used to beat him up, you probably have some kind of crush on him."

"We should go now, Scott," Jean said in a low voice, still giving Bobby dirty looks. Scott nodded and left, hand in hand with her.

* * *

Warren fixed his shirt as he approached the newest arrival at the mansion. The blue-skinned boy had previously been a performer in the Munich Circus, and the blond was crushing on him. The boy was quiet and kept mostly to himself, despite Scott's attempts to bring him into the group.

"Hey." Warren's voice was gentle, rather uncharacteristic for the school bad boy. Blue looked up at him, yellow eyes wide, a faint blush spread across his face. "Um, you want to maybe hang out?"

"Did zhey put you up to it?" The boy carried a heavy German accent; Warren noticed a group of younger students snickering and watching the exchange with interest. "I vant to," he murmured. "I zhink you are attractive." It was Warren's turn to blush. He shifted a little and offered his hand.

"I'm not like them," he promised. Blue took his hand with his own three-digited one, and his tail wrapped around Warren's waist. "I don't think I caught your name."

"Kurt Vahgner."

"Warren Worthington the Third."

* * *

"I can't believe he didn't tell us he was being harassed like that," Steve murmured, sitting beside Tony on the couch. The rest of the team were out of the tower as Steve has requested time alone with his husband.

Tony hummed, arm placed as securely as possible around Steve's shoulder. "Even at twenty-one, he's just like any other seventeen-year-old. Keeping secrets from his parents. I think he didn't say anything because he knew that we would try to remedy the situation ourselves. You have to remember that Joel had to fend for himself for years before he met us, so he's used to being independent and fixing things himself. It usually never ends well when he does it, but he doesn't want to ask anyone for help."

Steve nodded and leaned on Tony's shoulder. "I always thought that if I had kids, they wouldn't be afraid to ask." Tony opened his mouth to say something, but Steve cut him off. "Yes, I'm aware that Joel is adopted, but the case stands."

Peter and Wade chose that moment to enter the room, loaded down with snacks. They unloaded their bags on the table. Wade pulled off his gloves. "Look what Baby Boy got for me!" He flashed a ring and Tony stood up immediately. "We got one for Joel too—"

"Stop it, Wade!" Peter elbowed his boyfriend roughly in the side. "He's kidding. The ring is plastic and it's from a crane machine," he explained hastily to Tony. To Wade, he smacked the older male upside the head. "I told you not to say anything!"

Steve sat motionless as Tony returned to his side. "Wilson, I want you to go," he said calmly. Wade opened his mouth to protest but closed it when he saw the look Steve was giving him. "Go somewhere with Peter and just disappear for a while." Wade nodded mutely and took Peter's hand, vanishing instantly.

* * *

"I told you not to," Peter said calmly as he and Wade sat atop their favorite lookout spot at the city. "They're both still upset about Joel. And honestly, I can't help but feel a little upset myself. He knows he can tell us anything."

Wade leaned against Peter, munching on his taco. "You never kept secrets from your aunt and uncle? Aside from the obvious?" Peter shook his head.

"They already knew. I came home every day with black eyes and bruises. There was no hiding it."

Wade sat up and turned to face Peter. "Petey, Joel's told us everything. You can't blame him for having a secret or two. He loves us both; he just doesn't want us to worry about him every second of every day." Wade was quiet for a moment. "You know, I met him once. A long time ago. I think he was like thirteen or fourteen."

 _ **FLASHBACK**_

Wade was on his way back from a mission when he heard the familiar sound of crying. On any other occasion, he'd have ignored it, but glancing down the nearby alleyway, he spotted a teenage boy curled up on a small piece of cardboard. The kid couldn't have been older than fourteen but looked as small as a ten-year-old.

"You alright, kid?" Wade pulled his mask up to his nose. It was dark so his deformities were hard to distinguish even at this time. "You need some money for food or something?"

The kid sat up and wiped his eyes, sniffling. "No thanks. I got that covered." He pocketed a roll of bills. "Are you Deadpool?" Wade raised an eyebrow, mildly taken aback that the kid knew who he was. He nodded and the boy stood up, shaking slightly. "You're my favorite hero. I have all these comics about the Avengers, but yours are my favorite." Wade wanted to correct the kid but couldn't help smiling at the grin on the boy's face.

"Why are you out here? Don't you have a home or something?" The grin disappeared. "Running away? Homeless?"

"Running away," the boy murmured. "Foster care blows. I—" He moved to pick up his belongings and it was then Wade saw the state of the kid's clothes; ripped and torn with occasional holes here and there, and a _reasonably-sized hole in the back_.

Wade put his bag down and bent down in front of the runaway. "Who the fuck did this?" When he got no response, Wade pulled one of his katanas off his back. "I will unalive whoever did this to you." A new flow of tears streamed down the boy's face and Wade suddenly had an armful of teenager. "Just point 'em out and they're done for."

"T-there." A hand pointed at a carful of wealthy-looking businessmen, all probably in their early twenties. Wade sat the boy down gently and moved quickly. The kid watched in awe as his hero—and he'd stand by that term—took out his assailants.

 _ **END FLASHBACK**_

"And he never said a word about it?" Peter stared up at Wade in wonder. The merc shrugged and finished off his taco before opening another.

"Guess it was a low point and he doesn't like talking about it," Wade said through his chewing. "You wouldn't mention this to him, right?" Peter shook his head. "Cool."

"Can't believe it though..." Peter ran a hand through his hair. The city was quiet, minus the sound of Wade's rather unnecessarily loud chewing.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N**_ : I tried. I really tried, but this is how it panned out.

* * *

"Joel, wake up!" Peter prodded the older male in the side. "It's just a nightmare, dude. C'mon, wake up!" The silverblond male tapped on Joel's face, trying to rouse him. "Please, Joel, you're scaring me." Joel's eyes shot open and he looked around, still breathing heavily. "Joel, are you okay?"

Joel exhaled and looked up at Peter. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, pulling his blanket closer to himself. "I— I thought I had the nightmares under control."

"Don't be sorry," the speedster said gently, putting a comforting arm around the smaller man. "Never be sorry for what you can't control. Look at me," Joel complied, "I may be a speedy little shit sometimes but I mean well... except for all the stolen snack cakes. In which case, you want one?" Peter held up a box of Twinkies, which Joel accepted.

Exhaling again, Joel took a bite of his offering. "I'm a victim of the foster care system. I guess it'd be weird if I _didn't_ have some nightmares. Seven families in two years." Peter's eyes widened. "Yeah. In fact, it was consequences of the last one, aka about three weeks ago, that led to this." He flexed his mechanical hand. "You know, I wanted a chainsaw, but Dad said no, I'm already enough of a menace with powers. When the Deadites come, they'll wish they gave me one."

* * *

"This got awkward fast," Travis mumbled, sitting on the floor beside the bed, where Harry, MJ and Gwen had ignored him in favor of a makeout session. The redhead pulled out his phone to text Peter for help, but Harry pulled the phone from his hand.

"Not having fun?" He teased, moving quickly to tuck Travis' phone away. "Join us." The girls looked at Harry as if he were crazy.

Travis looked at Harry warily; he had very little reason to trust the wealthy male, as, prior to his friendship with Peter, Harry made a sport of tormenting Travis who, at the time, was smaller than everyone else their age. "You didn't tell me Peter wasn't going to be here until _after_ I got here. Does he know about this... arrangement you have?" Harry shook his head and pulled Travis onto the bed, and kissed the boy tenderly. "How do you know I even swing that way?"

The blond boy smirked and placed a hand on Travis' bulge. "Because your little guy reacted when you saw me naked in gym a few days ago," he whispered heavily. Travis felt his cheeks heat up from the memory. "You don't know this, Cartwright, but I _do_ like you, even though I don't show it."

Travis looked to the girls in confusion. Gwen nodded. "Believe it or not, it's true. He likes you, but it was his father's insistence that Harry find love with someone in good social standing—no offense." It was known that Travis' family, which at the time as kids, was with a very lower-class foster family.

"None taken," Travis mumbled. "You sure about this though? It feels weird."

Harry's smirk grew as he tugged Travis' jeans off. "Just relax, Trav, and embrace it."

* * *

"Varren?" Warren looked over at the blue boy and smiled. "Vhat is this mall Scott keeps talking about?"

"Dude, you don't— You didn't have malls in Munich?" The blond asked, jaw dropped. Kurt shrugged. "We should go. There's one about half an hour's drive away. Let's get Shades, Red and Speedy, and go now." Kurt broke into a toothy grin and took Warren's outreached hand. They traveled to the next room, where Scott and Jean were playing Wii. "Hey, Summers, Grey, let's take Kurt to the mall."

"Did someone say mall?" Jubilation Lee appeared from a nearby chair. "Get Peter and let's go!" She bounced out of her seat, and looked around. "Where is Peter anyway?"

Bobby sauntered into the room at that moment. "He's hanging out with the freak. They've been spending a lot of time together. I think Speed has a thing for him. Don't understand why though. Guy's a tool."

"Says the guy who's been sexually harassing him," Warren sniped, sticking out his foot as Bobby passed, only to get it cased in ice. "Leave him alone," he growled.

Bobby put his hands up, a smirk crossing his features. "I am. Scott already threatened me with his powers." He glanced over at the taller male. "You used to be cool, Summers. What happened?"

"You're such an asshole, Bobby," Jubilee muttered as she exited the room following Scott, Jean, Kurt and Warren.

The five teenagers went upstairs to seek out more for their trip, and Scott knocked on Peter's door. "Peter? We're going to the mall, if you and Joel want in." The door opened and Scott and Warren entered, finding the two asleep on each other. "Oh my God. Guys, please get up." Scott nudged Peter's side with his foot, only for the speedster to flail and sit up.

"Hey, guys," Peter said, smiling innocently. Joel whined and opened his eyes.

"Sup."

"Mall trip?" Jubilee called out from behind Kurt.

Joel and Peter looked at each other and nodded. "Alright. We're in."

* * *

"I still think we should say something," Steve mumbled from his spot between Tony and Clint as the Avengers gathered to watch movies. Tony rubbed his husband's shoulder in comfort and turned to Peter.

"I know. I want to do something about it," the teen said softly. "But if we say or do anything about it, Joel will hate us."

Clint piped up. "I don't know what you guys are talking about, but the kid can hold a grudge. For a really long time. Remember the first time I let it slip that he used to work on the street?" Steve nodded. "That was four-and-a-half years ago."

"I think his resentment towards you has more to do with your game of using him as target practice when he's teleporting," Tony pointed out.

A flash of light later, Wade appeared alongside Carter, who was ambushed by Pietro. "You're back!" The Sokovian man was all smiles. Wanda sighed in relief from beside Rhodey. "I missed you so much!"

"Missed you too, buddy," Carter chuckled, patting the man on the back. He dropped his backpack. "I brought more comic book movies. These are from another publisher. My happy ass is unemployed now, so I can spend however much time here."

"Are you okay?" Pietro whispered, latching onto Carter. The man looked uncomfortable, so Steve extracted himself from the pile to pull the speedster off. "Carter, you're not gonna—"

"What? No! I'm not depressed, nor did I get fired. I need a social life, and they only wanted me for night shifts, so I quit."

Carter took Pietro's hand and squeezed it. "I'm okay, I promise." The speedster seemed to accept this and laid his head on Carter's shoulder. "Geez, you're affectionate." He looked to Wanda, who gave him a wry smile. "Well, let's start a movie. I don't know if you can acknowledge the existence of another comic universe, but here's the original 1960s Batman movie."

* * *

"I do not need a new wardrobe, so stop telling me I do!" Joel tried to unlatch Jubilee from his arm. "Peter! Come get her off me!" The other boy zipped over and took Joel's other arm, pulling him over to where Scott stood.

The black-haired girl pouted slightly. "I thought gay guys knew all about fashion," she grumbled, only to receive a silencing glare from Jean.

"Not this one. I'll stick to my preference, thanks." Joel tugged his dark red leather jacket tighter around his shoulders.

"Look, it's the freak patrol," a voice sneered. The group turned to see two boys, both blond, one with a shaved head. "Here's our buddy." The latter put an arm around Joel, who had stiffened slightly; however, this did not go unnoticed by his friends. "How you doin', squirt?"

Joel opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out and he looked down, biting his lip. Peter, Scott and the girls glanced at each other. "Um, how do you guys know Joel?" The taller, long-haired one snickered.

"He's our little brother. Or, well, _was_. Foster family, y'know." Sad brown eyes looked up; Joel hoped they would get the hint. "You didn't give us the chance to catch up last time."

Scott stepped forward. "Uh, hey, Joel, we should be heading back, huh?" He held out a hand, which Joel was surprised Chris let him accept. "We have a curfew," he explained to the twins, who only smirked.

"Sure you do," Jake said quietly, eyeing Joel closely. The brunet hid behind Peter, who vanished without a second thought. "Nice meeting you guys. Hope to see you soon." The twins left and Scott, Jean and Jubilee went to find Warren and Kurt.

* * *

"Wade, if you say go see your movie again, I swear..." Peter groaned as Wade whined and pleaded to go to the theater for his movie... for the ninth time. "I love you but even I tire of your antics." Wade clutched a hand to his chest and fell over, writhing on the sidewalk. "Oh my God, get up!"

The merc continued his dramatics. "My fiancé doesn't want to spend every waking moment with me! Is this what love is?!" Passersby looked at Wade but did nothing; one person tossed change in their direction. "Fifty cents? This is an Oscar worthy performance!" Peter buried his face in his hands.

"Please, Wade, you've already made a scene. No need to ham it up." At this, Wade began sobbing loud, obnoxious faux tears. "Goddamn it, where's Joel when you need him?"

* * *

Joel locked himself away in the room upon arrival and refused to speak to anyone for the remainder of the afternoon. Peter, Scott and Jean sat outside, hoping he'd emerge.

"I told you. He put up a mind barrier," Jean said after Scott asked her the third time if she could figure out what was wrong. "He knows how to do it, and very well, I might add." She sighed. "It's worse than we thought. I don't know who those guys were, but the way they were looking at Joel— they need to be kept away from him."

"This really _is_ high school, huh?" Warren sat down between Peter and Scott. "Drama everywhere you look. It's like a soap opera around here." He was quiet for a moment, playing with his wings. "Anything from within?" Peter shook his head. "Shit. As long as I've known him, he's never been this quiet."

A bright flash of light and a high-pitched scream later, Wade and Peter appeared, both in costume. "Where's Joel?"

"Holy. Shit. Deadpool _and_ Spider-Man?" Scott rubbed his shades. "You know J— He wasn't kidding." Scott extended his hand. "Scott Summers. It's a real honor."

"Yeah, that's great. Some kid named Bobby Drake here? Got a present for him." Wade fiddled with one of his knives. "I have a feeling none of you even did anything to stop it, did you?"

It was Warren who answered. "Summers threatened him, but... I scared him off, I guess, when he was trying to feel Joel up, and..." He looked up at Wade. "We could have done more."

"He in there?" Peter nodded to the door and Jean nodded. "Was it the guy or—"

Scott shook his head. "Not this time. These twins we met at the mall..." Peter felt his face heat up from under the mask. "Said they were his foster brothers."

The speedster got up from the floor. "Hey, I'm Peter. Peter M—" The door opened and Joel emerged, eyes red and puffy from crying. He hugged the two costumed men.

"Hey, guys," he said softly. "What are you doin' here?"

"Worried about you, you jerk. You never call while you're here." Wade picked Joel up in a bear hug. "You alright, kid?"

Joel nodded. "Yeah. Just, uh, needed to emote to myself a bit." He looked over at his classmates. "I know what you're thinking. I never want you to know. I love you guys but I don't want your sympathy. You'll tell me you won't, but if you knew, you fucking will, even if you don't show it." Wade put him down and glanced at the teenage mutants, eyes resting on Peter.

"You know, we got one just like y—" Joel elbowed the merc sharply in the side. "What?"


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N**_ : IT LIVES. Yeah, so I lost a little steam for this story but, with the recent release of _Ant-Man and the Wasp_ (look for me in the background at UC Berkeley!), I've got new ideas I'm going to toss around in here.

* * *

"Kid!"

The brunet shot up and looked around, the voice behind the endearment was the older male who had rented him for the night. It was late morning or early afternoon, Joel couldn't tell. His buyer was probably still a kid in society's eyes; late teens but old enough to be looking for a hustler. Joel himself had just turned sixteen, two years following his departure from foster care and onto the streets of New York City.

"Kid, you need to go now." The guy was clad in a pair of blue jeans as he shifted through his closet for a shirt. "You were great. I put a bonus in your pockets. Just... take care of yourself, okay? You're sweet. You really shouldn't be doing this, but it's not my place to judge."

Joel rolled out of bed and gave the guy a small smile. "Appreciate it, man. Maybe someday we'll meet under better circumstances." He tugged his shirt and pants on and made to leave. "See you around."

* * *

"Joel, you awake?" Peter nudged his boyfriend gently in the side. "Hey, you were talking in your sleep." Joel opened his eyes and looked up at the younger man. "You okay?"

Joel sat up and blinked a few times. It wasn't the first time he was lost in a dream from his past. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Pete." He gave him a weak grin, which Peter seemed to accept. "You and Wade doing anything today?"

"I got school, Wade's... I dunno what he does during the day. But you can stay here for a while. Mr. Stark talked to the Professor about letting you stay for a few days." Joel looked up wide-eyed. "No, we didn't say anything. Don't worry." He sat down beside the smaller male. "Can I ask you something?" Joel nodded. "You didn't want to tell us because you didn't want us to worry?"

"Yeah. I just— I love you guys and I can... I don't know if I can handle it myself but it usually takes standing up to a bully to get 'em to back off. I always had to do it on my own. My parents never cared. My mom told me I was an accident. How can a kid be an accident? Especially one you carry to fucking term." He sighed, and Peter put an arm around him.

Peter rubbed his back. "Used to be the same with Flash. When my Uncle Ben passed away, he got nicer. Probably pity or something but we're cool now... sort of."

A knock came at the door, sliding open to reveal the entire group. "Someone must have forgotten..." Darcy sing-songed before they all piled into the room.

"Wait— wh-what is this?" Joel looked confused. Peter tousled his hair and Wade appeared, making him flinch. "The hell, guys? I'm trying to be open with you for once and you do me this way?"

"He actually forgot." Tony's voice filtered in from being sandwiched between Bruce and Clint. The billionaire wedged himself out and stood before Joel, who stared blankly up at him. "Yes, I may have rescinded on that promise but hopefully this makes up for it." He held out a large box.

Joel eyed the man he called Dad suspiciously before his mechanical hand reached out and opened it. "Oh my God." He covered his mouth and jumped up, pulling out the green-and-black spandex suit. "Dude, this is so rad!" He ran into the bathroom and pulled it on before returning to his family. "This is honestly the best present anyone has ever given me!" He flung himself at Tony, who looked a little shocked at the sudden contact but patted his back. "Thank you."

"No problem, kid. You really are the son I probably would have had. You better be careful in that thing." He pressed the middle of the chest plate and a crimson red mask covered the man's face.

"Whoa!" Joel looked himself over and, although they couldn't see it, the Avengers knew he was grinning. He sat back down between Peter and Wade, and laid back, letting the suit retract into a bracelet.

Wade put an arm around him. "Now that we got the cool part out of the way, now for the embarrassing." Joel paled and looked at him, opening his mouth to ask but Wade put a finger to his lips. "Shh. Hit it." Peter pulled out a boombox and hit the play button.

" _Happy birthday to you_

 _This is your day_

 _On this day for you_

 _We're gonna love you in every way_

 _This is your day, your day_

 _Happy birthday to you, to you._ "

Joel watched wide-eyed as Wade sang and everyone else—some more reluctantly than others—joined in the choreography, which—he'd have to give them credit for—was pretty good.

" _Happy birthday to you_

 _You're still young_

 _Age is just a number_

 _Don't you stop having fun_

 _This is your day, your day_

 _Happy birthday to you, to you._ "

"Oh my God, please stop." Joel walked over and put his hands on Scott's shoulders. "Seriously, Mr. Lang, stop." The older man looked like a kicked puppy but did so. "I appreciate this. Really. But what the hell implies that I like New Kids on the Block?" He'd deny it until the end of time.

A smirk appeared on Bucky's face and the former soldier held out a phone. "This." Joel's eyes gazed over and his jaw dropped. There was a video of the time he thought the Tower was empty and he was performing " _Hangin' Tough_ " in his room. Whoever was taking the video was shaking with laughter.

"Wait a fucking minute." He took the phone and examined it closely. The angle was from the vents. He turned to see Clint missing from the group. " _Where is he?_ "

* * *

It took the combined efforts of Rhodey, Pietro and Natasha to prevent Joel from attacking the archer. He was pulled away—for the time being—with the lure of an enormous chocolate cake prepared by Steve and Bucky.

"This isn't over." Joel sat on the other side of the room. "You better be good at those instincts, Legolas. I'm gonna be here a while."

Peter and Wade looked at each other and nodded. Peter led Joel over to the cake. "Make a wish... that doesn't involve you committing murder." Joel seemed to muse it over for a moment before blowing out the candles in a flight pattern he'd picked up from Sam.

Wade came up behind him and pushed his face into the bottom layer of the cake. Everyone started cracking up as Joel pulled back. He licked his lips. "Hmm, the icing to cake ratio is astounding." He threw some over his shoulder, hoping to nail Wade but the room went still. Joel turned to see Natasha. "Oh my God, I'm gonna die and I'm only twenty-two."

The redhead strode over and, with an entirely blank expression, scooped up a handful and smashed it into Joel's face. "Now we're even."

Wade jumped onto the table. "Cake fight!"

* * *

Half an hour later, everyone was lying around the living area, covered from head to toe with cake. "Thanks, guys. I really needed today." Joel was up against the couch beside Scott. He nudged the other and whispered in a low voice, "Think I can borrow the suit for a couple hours?"

"You won't lose it, right?"

"Since when am I— Oh yeah." Joel had once been enlisted to babysit Cassie and subsequently lost track of her, only to find her in the massive fort they'd built. "I promise you, I won't lose the suit. Scout's honor." He held up three fingers.

"I doubt you've ever been a Boy Scout. But fine. Meet me in my room tonight, nine o'clock." The man clapped his shoulder. "Happy birthday, kid."

Tony wiped a smudge of icing from Steve's face. "Remind me how I ended up with the most talented super-soldier ever."

A cheeky smirk appeared on Steve's features. "I think you have—what is it called—gerontophilia." Tony looked shocked. "That's what Joel—"

"Joel!" Tony spun around, only to find the birthday boy gone.

* * *

Peter moped around the mansion. Since Joel left, he hadn't gotten the chance to give him the present he'd actually paid for. Joel was the closest to a best friend Peter had ever had. The silverblond teenager sunk into the couch in the rec room, and started flipping channels.

"Hey, Speedy." Peter looked up to see Bobby in the doorway. "Missing your buddy?"

"What do you want?" He eyed the brunet warily. "He's not here for you to harass, so you're picking on me now?"

Bobby put up his hands in surrender and took a seat beside Peter. "I'm not harassing him—"

"Then what do you call touching him without consent?" He'd overheard Scott and Jean talking about it. "Threats don't faze you, do they?"

"I'm lonely. There, I said it." Bobby folded his arms. "And he's not like the rest of you nerds. He plays hard to get—"

Peter raised an eyebrow. Was this guy serious? "He's taken. By two guys. It's a three-way relationship." He then realized Bobby shouldn't know that. "They'll hurt you, you know that?" Peter wasn't quite sure to what extent but Spider-Man and Deadpool seemed very protective over Joel.

"Terrified." Bobby sounded bored. "Surely you don't actually believe that a loser like him has _two_ guys. I mean, just me liking him is a miracle in itself."

"Do you even hear yourself? Joel is good and pure. You're— the opposite of that." The speedster got up. "See you around." Before Bobby could respond, he zipped out of the room.

* * *

"This is awesome!" Joel was in Scott's Ant-Man suit and sitting on the man's shoulder. "Have you ever gone to the Quantum Realm?"

Scott was playing with an old N64 when Joel's question made him look up. "You know about that?" He knew the kid had an intellect comparable to Stark's.

"Dude. The one place where time and space make no sense. It's like a scientific expedition's wet dream." He hopped down and returned to regular size. "I'm a big fan of Hank Pym's research."

"What are you two doing?" Hope asked, walking into the room. Joel opened the helmet with a nervous grin. "Joel." She nodded before glancing at Scott. "Sorry I'm so late."

"It's no problem." Scott's eyes were fixated on the screen. "Everyone else is gone and Joel and I never hang out, so..."

Hope gazed between them. "You forgot, didn't you?" Scott raised his head to give her a quizzical look. "I always wonder what would happen if you didn't have me around." She shook her head fondly and pulled a ring-sized box out of Scott's discarded jacket. "Happy birthday, Joel."

Joel wasn't expecting anything from anyone else. He knew they all pitched in for a lot of the day's events. "Wow, thanks." He lifted the cover and tilted his head. "What is it?"

Hope pried Scott away from the TV and they stood side-by-side, watching him open the gift. "It's a tracker. Not the kind like Tin Man's, that tracks your location." Hope took the device and fixed it into the plastic ring on Joel's left hand. "It's more of a stress watch, and if you're under too much, it'll contact us and we'll come help you."

Joel examined it closely. "That's beyond cool. You guys made this?"

"With a little help from Dad-in-law, but yeah. We felt like you'd want one of us to assist you in place of, say, Cap." Joel loved his dads but he'd prefer that they never go up against the twins. They had more dirt on him and he hoped Tony and Steve never found out.

The younger male wrapped Scott and Hope in a hug. Both looked a little startled by the abrupt affection but Scott put a hand on his shoulder with a small smile. "Thanks, Mr. Lang. Ms. Van Dyne."

"It's Scott and Hope, Joel." They couldn't help but be a little surprised by the manners he had. They knew what his past was like—at least what everyone else knew.

"I'm gonna go to bed. Night." He beamed and left the room.

"Okay, where's the suit? Dad wanted me to put in some upgrades." Scott's eyes shifted nervously. "Really?"


End file.
